Third Thursday Challenge

I'm barely squeaking in on this Third Thursday Challenge! Thankfully Brenda gives us extra time to link our projects. Once a month we try something new. It doesn't have to be in photography, but that seems to be where I find myself.  I've been wanting to try some macro images that are backlit with a light box. Today, at the last minute, I drug everything out and here's what I came up with. 

I guess I should call them abstract, macro, backlit images. You can't always tell when they are!

First, I used a lime.

The hardest part was cutting the thing.

Very tough skin on this one!

This next one reminds me a quilt block called Cathedral Window.

Poke Sallet

Have you ever eaten any?

Not me, but I understand there's a certain stage where it's safe to eat.

Finding the poke sallet made me think of that old (1968) song Polk Salad, Annie. 

Maybe you've never heard of it, but Elvis sang it in 1970.

crushed cinnamon candy

This really smelled good when I was photographing it!

sprinkles

Trying something new not only keeps my creative juices flowing, it helps me learn more about my camera, lens, and settings.

Thanks so much to Brenda for hosting this link up. Click the button below to drop by and see what some of the others have done.

Create Today...

As many of you know, my camera and I have been on a little hiatus. Oh, I'm still taking pictures. I'm working on a photo project called "The Year I Was 60". I am now 60! Wow! I also spent a wonderful day with my sister at a beautiful garden where I took tons of pictures. I will post about that next week. Anyway, since I've spent less time outside with my camera and more time inside, I decided to be creative in a different way.

 

My first project was a mini album with pictures from my favorite place, the woods behind our house. I scrapbook, but this was my first mini album. I blogged about this already, but if you missed it and would like to see the rest of the pages, you can go here.

 

I've been wanting to play with paper and glue and create a collage. I flipped through some magazines, cutting out words and pictures. First I made a small postcard to hang in my craft room. Just a little something I could glance at and remind me to take the time to create.

Well, that was so much fun, I dug out a sketchbook I've had for a very long time. A sketch book that had no sketches in it. In fact, every page was still blank. It's not blank any more! My first page is about me and my love of nature. I included one of my photographs, stickers, embellishments, and stamped the butterfly.

Here's what I wrote:

I am inclined to

    capture moments

I look eagerly at my

    surroundings

Nature whispers to me

It brings infinite peace

I listen

I hear...

    the birds clearly singing

    the wind rushing by

I am on a journey of

    wonder and discovery

I write

I photograph

In my heart...

I know I am an artist

 

 

 

The second page I created was  about spring. I went through some old gardening magazines and found many spring pictures.

 

 

You may have noticed that there are several postage stamps on both pages. I have collected stamps since I was a child. I don't collect them for their value, they're not organized or in books. I collect them because I think they're pretty!

 

 

This was such fun!

Cutting out pictures and

gluing them down made me

fell like a child again!

 

 

I'm linking this to

a challenge by Brenda to try something new each month.

Third Thursday Challenge ~ May 2013

This month found me trying to organize the thousands of pictures on the computer. I use Picasa to upload my pictures and they are organized by dates. I've created folders for each year and the sub-folders for the months. This works fine if you know approximately when you took a picture, but, for instance, if I'm looking for pictures of benches I have to go looking through lots of folders.  I wanted a better way to find things than searching by dates.

 

That has been the problem, here's how I'm working to solve it. I am now using Creative Memories Memory Manager 4 software to organize my photos. I've taken a class through Big Picture Classes called Finding Photo Freedom that has helped me tremendously. My photos are organized by year, quarter, date and also by subjects; people, places, things, activities, and individuals. It's been a long process. I've only sorted and tagged one year of photos (I only have three years of pictures on my computer). I work on it for 15 minutes a day and someday, I'll be through! I'm not giving up or quitting.

Stick with me, I'm getting to the challenge!

 

This organizing  is all new, but while I was roaming around this new software, I played with some of it's editing features. They are not as high tech as Photoshop or Lightroom, but there's enough to satisfy me. I randomly picked an image,  a historical home, and then played.

 

The Original

straight of the camera

 

 

 

Rough Painting Effect

This is the only way I'll ever paint a picture!

Old Glass Effect

This one made me laugh;

"and they all lived together in a crooked little house."

 

 

 

Embossed Effect

This might be pretty for a postcard.

Black and White with a red filter

This almost looks spooky to me or maybe mysterious.
I get the feeling that something's about to happen here.

Top - Sphereize Effect

Bottom - Swirl

These are fun, but I cannot imagine what you'd use them for!

And finally...

Color Temperature Adjustment

This is my favorite.

I really like this.

I really, really like this!

I love the warmth it gives and the feeling of nostalgia.

This feature I can see myself using many times.

So, that's it for this month.  You may of noticed after the last month's traumatic challenge of photographing people, I went easy on myself this month.

 

 

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

(The rhyme was first recorded by James Orchard Halliwell in the 1840's)

 

Now this crooked little man and his crooked cat and mouse

They all live together in a crooked little house.

Has a crooked door with a crooked little latch;

Has a crooked roof with a crooked little patch.

(The song was recorded, in a calypso music style,

with the title "Don't Let the Rain Come Down."

by the Serendipity Singers 1964. This final verse was added then.)

 

Now you will be singing this all day long!

So Sorry!

 



Third Thursday Challenge ~ April, 2013

 

Okay, I am aware that it is past the 3rd Thursday. Thank you, Brenda for keeping this link open for several days. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been spending time with family and our newest grandson.

 

 There aren't a lot of requirements for this challenge, only that we try something new.

I did that!!

I really did that!

I tried the horrifying, stomach-clenching task of

PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHY!!

 

You may remember the small sculpture garden where I took some pictures several days ago. (You can read about it here) Anyway, while I was taking pictures a couple of city workers were adding fresh mulch to the flowers beds along the street. I got brave, whipped up my camera, and took this picture. Notice he's not looking my way, but, hey, that's fine. I captured a real moment in his day.

 

spring cleaning

 

 

That was easy enough, so I turned around and saw this lady. Once again, she's not looking, still fine with me! After all, this is pretty new to me!

headed up town

  

 

Now to the good part. This gentlemen (same one as above) began to talk to me and tell me some interesting spots around the area that I might want to photograph. He called himself "the tour guide." He has been working in this area for two years and knew lots of great information. We talked for a few minutes and then I did it.

I asked him!

Yes, that's what I said!

I asked him!!

I opened my mouth and out came the words...

May I  take your picture?

He was happy to pose for me. He even picked out the window he wanted to pose in front of! He was super excited that "Oxford American Magazine" will be housing it's business offices, a restaurant, and holding special events in this building. He wanted me to go peek in the windows and see how the construction was coming along and look at the original tin roof. 

 tour guide

That worked so well, I tried it again. I asked the lady in the hat if I could take her picture and she said, of course. Her name is Laverne Davis, she is the Master Gardener that keeps this little park beautiful.

 Master Gardener

That was all the courage I could find. I only asked two people.  I took a picture of these girls in line at a small restaurant. They look like they've been playing tennis and decided to grab some lunch. Not one of them is paying any attention to me.

 lunch with friends

 

After purchasing my lunch to go, I wandered back to the sculpture garden to eat. Several people must have also  thought it would be a good idea to get outside during lunch on this beautiful day. They were milling around and chatting or on their laptops and cell phones.

 meeting friends at the park

I captured a few of the locals going about their everyday business.

 crossing the street

Lastly, I captured a little bit of the transportation in downtown...a city bus and the bicycle. I didn't think anyone was watching until I got home and uploaded these to my computer. The bus driver is really staring at me! Glad I didn't see that when I was there!

catching a ride

Will I do this again?  I'm not sure!

Did it get any easier?  Absolutely not!

But, I did it and I'm rather proud of myself!

Truthfully, I'm surprised any of these turned out!

I was shaking so badly!

 

Third Thursday Challenge ~ March 2013



If a photo speaks a thousand words then it's for certain that two photos can speak volumes. When you place two photos side by side it is called a "diptych." Last week Brenda who hosts Third Thursday Challenge showed us how using diptychs can be an effective storytelling tool. They're like little mini stories that are told in two photos.

 

I've used diptychs before to show examples or to save room on my blog, but I've never given much thought as to how they could tell stories. As I wandered this week I looked for photos that could be used in pairs.

 

Nature was the first thing I thought of since spring seems to arrived and with the warm days flower buds bursting into blossoms.  Of course, the weeds are bursting open too, like this dandelion flower and dandelion seed head. There's also  a second story here, the story of my point of view when capturing the image. In the first, I was looking down at the flower and then I looked up at the seed head!

I also wanted to try something outside of my comfort zone of nature. This week I explored a small town in Arkansas and discovered a historic railroad station. I took these pictures of a semaphore atop the building. My three year old grandson is obsessed with trains. He's the one that told me this signal is called a semaphore. I did a little research and found that a semaphore is one of the earliest forms of fixed railway signals. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. The ladder on the left is how the men climbed the pole to change the signal. Aaron certainly knew what he was talking about! Smart boy!!

I love the inspiration and knowledge that I get through blogging and the friends I've made. If you'd like to see more inspiring examples of how we challenged ourselves to learn something new this month, just visit Brenda by clicking on the button below!

Third Thursday Challenge ~ February 21, 2013

One of the things I love about photography is the many, many ways one can create interesting images with a camera. I ran across a magazine "50 Photo Projects" recently. It has several projects that are doable for someone like me, who doesn't have a lot of extra equipment. For this month's Third Thursday Challenge I gave one of their projects a try.

 

still life silhouette

 

On my morning walk I picked a variety of weeds, looking for different shapes. I then set up my little studio. All I needed was copy paper, camera, tripod, weeds, and a vase. I taped the paper to a glass door, placed the weeds in a vase in front of it, and set up my camera. The article even gave suggested camera settings, which is always a big help for me! I like the end results. It was a whole new way to use my macro lens and see nature.

 

 

I would have never tried this if it hadn't been for Brenda's Third Thursday Challenge. Her monthly challenge gives me that little extra push I need to look for new ways to use my camera. The challenge is not all about photography. You can try something new in any medium.

You should come join us!!

Third Thursday Challenge ~ Abstracts

 (looking through water)

 

 Several things have inspired me to try something new with my photography. Yes, I'm still taking nature images, but with a different twist!

 (water flowing out of a drainage pipe

I turned the photo on it's side.)

 

First to inspire me is the lovely and talented photographer, Brenda from How To Feather An Empty Nest.  Brenda encourages us to try something new each month, whether it be photography, painting, or poetry. Anything to stretch ourselves and help us grow as artists. I'm linking this post to her Third Thursday Challenge.  I encourage you to try this and join us. Like I said above, it can be anything you want, just try something new or different!

 (cascading water)

 

Second to inspire me is the wonderful photographer/artist Kat Sloma from Kat Eye Studio. I've just finished her workshop entitled "Fuel Your Creativity." I'm sorry you missed it, it was wonderful!  She gave us prompts each day to help us find different ways to jump start our creativity. If you want to learn more about yourself and your photography she has some great classes with amazing exercises. I'd start with "Find Your Eye." She has a fun series "Exploring With A Camera" which is a monthly class (and it's free) where you can explore with your camera and learn bout different photography topics. She's also been creating some beautiful images with her iPhone she calls "artistic blur."

 (reflection of the sky and trees in water)

 

My third inspiration comes from an Arkansas photographer and author,Tim Ernst. I recently had the opportunity to attend one of his lectures about his photography and a slide show presentations of the images in his latest book!  All I can say is that it was wonderful!  As his amazingly, beautiful images swept across the screen in front of me, quiet music played, and I just let it fill my heart. You could tell each images was taken from his heart, his love for nature and the beauty of Arkansas. I, of course, had to buy one of his coffee table books and he signed it for me. I sat down one day this week (a prompt from Kat) and looked at his work, carefully studied each photo, jotted down things I saw...his choice of subject, how he used the light, how he composed the image, and the angle he took.

 (ripples and reflections in water)

 

I'm saying all that to say this. Every day we are influenced by people and things around us. I like to seek out inspiration from other artists. One of the reasons I follow blogs, buy photography books, take classes, and go to art exhibits is for inspiration. I see what others have done and they inspire my photography. It might be the colors they've used, the subject, a process, or even words that inpsire me. As you probably know I love nature. I love the tiny details, the shapes and forms, the colors, and textures. So when I set out to find abstracts in nature, this was really different for me. The abstract images I took are all of water, mud puddles, the creek, and a lake. 

 (movement of water caused by the wind)

Brenda encouraged me to try something new.

Kat encourage me to try a more artistic approach.

Mr. Ernst encourage me to try focusing on reflections.

A special thanks to all of you!

 

 (ripples)

 

I surprised myself, I really like this type of photography!  I didn't think I would since I focus so much on nature's details. I must say I'm thankful for the rain this week. It has left many puddles and the creek high which led to great opportunities to shoot abstract photos. I can't seem to get enough. I've been out every day looking at the water, looking from many angles, and  looking for beauty. This is something I will definitely be doing more often!

 

Third Thursday Challenge ~ November

Each month Brenda over at  How To Feather An Empty Nest challenges us to get out of our comfort zone and try something new. I know I'm pretty stuck on nature photography, so it does me good to train my eyes to look for something different. Brenda is the queen of architectural photography. The angles, lines, and shadows in her photography are amazing!  She also captures stunning window reflections. Click on the link above and see some of her gorgeous work. She also has beautiful images in her flickr photostream. Since her images intrigue me, I thought I'd try my hand at architectural photography. It's was definitely a challenge for me.

 

Brenda has done a series of "pie in the sky" shots.  I had a really hard time getting mine symmetrical. They're still a little off!

 

I've been visiting several small towns in Arkansas lately. Walking around the older parts of town and looking for interesting buildings. I love looking at the textures of bricks, rocks, pealing paint, and weathered windows. I also love the old original glass panes that have endured through the years.

Not only are the widows fascinating, but so are the unique doors.

 

Architecture is so different than nature! I found it hard to make the images look alive and not flat!  But, it was fun getting out for the day and looking at buildings in a new way!